When you think of the best films of cinematic classics, films that are studied at every film school around the world and raked in all the awards, you tend to assume that the films were as popular upon their release as they are now. Sadly, that’s not always the case. While they may appear as smash hits to modern viewers, upon their initial releases these 5 films fell way short of the mark to be considered successful.
The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
Quite often considered the best film of all time (because it absolutely is), this emotional adaptation of a Stephen King short story, with astar-studdedd cast including Morgan Freeman (Driving Ms Daisy) and Tim Robbins (Mystic River) was nominated for 7 Oscars in 1995.
However, its immense critical acclaim did not translate into financial success. The film only managed to bring in $16 million during its initial theatrical run, against an alleged budget of $25 million.
Fight Club (1999)
The original commentary on toxic masculinity, Fight Club is perhaps the best film by legendary director David Fincher, and that competes with The Social Network, Seven, Gone Girl and Zodiac. However, the film’s release was overshadowed by controversy when several studio executives were rumoured to have said that they didn’t like or enjoy the final product.
As a result, Fight Club only made $37 million at the US domestic box office, against a budget of around $63 million.
The Iron Giant (1999)
1999 strikes again with one of the saddest children’s films ever made. Along with the films of Japan’s Studio Ghibli, The Iron Giant is often considered one of the greatest animated movies of all time, being nominated for dozens of awards, winning one BAFTA, and being one of the few animated films in IMDB’s Top 250 Films of All-Time.
Due to Warner Bros.’s scepticism towards animated cinema, after previous failed film releases, The Iron Giant made less than half of its budget, earning $ 31 million against a $70-80 million budget.
Citizen Kane (1941)
The true classic of cinema, those who don’t consider The Shawshank Redemption to be the best film of all-time almost always choose Citizen Kane. Despite being arguably the most famous and influential film ever, Citizen Kane was greatly underappreciated upon its release.
While it did manage to recuperate its costs, Citizen Kane‘s marginal profits are far from being considered successful, even by the standards of the 1940s. The film made $1 million upon its release, against an estimated budget of $800k.
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971)
Arguably the film that launched Gene Wilder’s career into the spotlight, this classic take on Roald Dahl’s hilarious children’s book is now a Christmas-time classic for many households around the world. However, the colourful, surreal musical barely made back a third of its budget during its initial release.
With a budget of $3 million, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory just surpassed the $1 million mark before being pulled from cinemas.
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